Joseph E. Penkala, John Mosley, Mark Baker and Leo Castro, Baker Petrolite
Acrolein (2-propenal) is a potent biocide and sulfide scavenger which has been used to mitigate bacterial and iron sulfide problems in secondary oilfield recovery systems. The effectiveness of acrolein is due to its _,_-conjugated double bond which reacts with sulfhydryl and amine groups on bacterial proteins as well as irreversibly reacting with sulfide ions in hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and iron sulfide. This paper discusses the applications of acrolein in water injection systems to control bacteria, H2S, and iron sulfide scale problems impacting water clarity, injection flowline integrity, and injection well performance. Data are presented on three case studies which describe 1) the reduction in injection well failures due to acid producing bacteria, 2) remediation of iron sulfide formation face damage in injection wells via squeeze applications, and 3) remediation of iron sulfide fouled injection wells via a novel topside batch treatment program.